Silvestri Adds Real-World Experiences To Resume

Joe Silvestri didn’t take any time to bask in the glow of
his role in helping the Albion College men’s lacrosse program
achieve its finest season at the varsity level this spring.

A Detroit Catholic Central High School product who achieved
distinction on the all-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic
Association first team as a long stick midfielder, Silvestri went
to work in chemistry professor Cliff Harris’ lab as soon as
he completed spring semester final examinations. Hoping for a
career as a physician, Silvestri will spend 20 hours a week working
in Harris’ lab – running experiments four mornings per
week and all day on Wednesday – until July 3 when he returns
to metro Detroit to resume volunteering and shadowing physicians at
the hospital where he gained experience last summer.

“These experiences are extremely valuable because I
don’t get to do a lot during the school year – with
lacrosse I’m crazy busy,” Silvestri said. “I have
to take advantage of the opportunities I can get. I enjoy spending
time doing research, volunteering, and shadowing and the fact the
activity is building my resume for medical school applications is a
bonus.

“Lacrosse is demanding nearly year-round,” he added.
“We have team workouts supervised by the coaches for a month
in the fall, and then we workout independently or collaboratively
through non-coaching staff ran events to improve our
skills.”

Since 2003, students in Harris’ lab have been focused on
finding why potassium permanganate, a chemical compound used to
tear molecules apart, became like a molecular glue when introduced
to organoboron compounds. Albion students ran new experiments last
fall that led to the discovery that a compound produced as a
byproduct of the original reaction was causing the unexpected
chemistry. Silvestri is among a group of students currently working
to find compounds that can be added to the byproduct to make a long
string of molecules.

The work Silvestri is doing in the lab is an example how Albion
students turn critical thought into action as he can learn by
asking questions and learning from mistakes made when running
experiments.

“I’ve run five experiments so far, testing compounds
to see if they react the way we think they will, and if they
don’t I have to try and figure out why,” Silvestri
said.

“It’s exciting to work in the lab because it’s
like working on a puzzle,” he added. “You have to know
what you are doing on every step. I’m learning what
everything does, why we do it, and how we do it. I’m getting
a lot out of this experience because everything I learned this past
year is beginning to meld together.”

Silvestri will face a challenge in the spring of 2014 as he adds
preparation for the Medical College Admission Test and service on
the executive board of the College’s Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee on to a demanding course load which includes three
science courses and a highly anticipated lacrosse season after the
Britons finished runner-up in the MIAA this spring.

“Spring ’14 will be demanding, but at the same time,
rewarding,” Silvestri said. “I have confidence in my
ability to manage my time well enough and not get caught up in any
negative thinking. As long as I put in all the work then I’ll
be proud of whatever I do.

“Lacrosse is important to me because I’m learning
valuable skills – teamwork, discipline, commitment to a
common goal – that will carry over once I’m done
playing here at Albion,” he added. “The best thing is
the camaraderie of the team. We are a tight knit group, the
chemistry is awesome, and it equates to some good play on the
field. I wouldn’t work this hard if it wasn’t worth
it.”